Every week during the regular season Tim Twentyman will answer 10 good questions from his X account @ttwentyman in a feature we call “10 Questions with Twentyman.”
20man: Brian Branch is the highest graded safety in the NFL by Pro Football Focus with teammate Kerby Joseph sitting second. Both have grades over 90.0. It’s the best safety duo in the NFL and it’s not even close.
Branch’s versatility sets him apart from a lot of safeties in the league. He can play either safety spots, the nickel and I’m convinced if he has to play linebacker he’d do just fine there too.
When we talk about DPOY, typically players with a lot of sacks and interceptions win the award. I was curious after receiving this question, so I looked at the last safety to win DPOY and it was Troy Polamalu in 2010 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That year he had seven interceptions, 11 passes defended, one sack, 63 tackles, six tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 14 games played that season.
For comparison, with eight games played — Branch missed the Seattle game with an illness — and eight remaining, Branch has four interceptions, 13 passes defended, no sacks, 50 tackles, three tackles for loss and one forced fumble. I think if he gets to eight interceptions, 20 passes defended and close to 100 tackles, he’ll be in the mix for DPOY in just his second season, which is crazy to think of. Brad Holmes strikes again.
20man: I’d be very surprised by a letdown this week. This team knows the best chance at the franchise’s first Super Bowl bid is for the NFC playoffs to come through Detroit and you guarantee that by winning the division and being the No. 1 seed. This team is super focused on that goal and know for it to become a reality they can’t let games like Sunday slip through their grasp.
20man: I’m not worried about quarterback Jared Goff at all. After watching the film, I thought maybe one of those interceptions was on him – the deep shot to Jameson Williams, and even there it looked like Williams ran too shallow a route vs. what Goff was expecting.
Goff has a short memory when it comes to that stuff and even he said after the game he didn’t think he played bad or didn’t feel like he wasn’t seeing the field. That’s just the way the ball bounces sometimes. I’d expect him to play really well Sunday against a Jacksonville defense that ranks 30th against the pass and has allowed the second most completions of 20-plus yards this season (42).
20man: That will be fun to watch. We saw how productive safety Ifeatu Melifonwu was at the end of last year and I think defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn can have fun with some Dime or three-safety packages in certain situations. More than anything, he gives the Lions great depth at the safety spot in case of injury.
Emmanuel Moseley was competing with Amik Robertson for the starting nickel spot before the pectoral injury suffered in joint practices with the Giants in August. I could see him working in there some. He can play inside and outside, so maybe the third outside cornerback role too. Another player who gives Detroit terrific depth at an already deep cornerback room.
20man: Good question. It’s really a terrific staff across the board for the Lions and that’s a credit to Dan Campbell. There are a lot of names I could talk about, but here are a few that jump out to me: Linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard. He’ll be a DC in this league. Offensive line coach Hank Fraley is one of the best in the business. What he’s done with that line being able to plug and play guys with no drop-off has been remarkable.
I also hear really good things about passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand. He’s been working under Ben Johnson for a couple years now and plays a big part in Detroit’s passing game. I’ve also really come to respect assistant head coach/running backs coach Scottie Montgomery. He can command a room, and the job he’s done with Detroit’s backs, particularly the development of second-year RB Jahmyr Gibbs, has been terrific.
20man: Obviously, you don’t want to see those add up, but here’s my take on Arnold: I’d be way more concerned if we saw him trailing receivers, constantly being beat or having missed assignments. I don’t see any of that.
Arnold is in position to make plays a lot of the time and as he perfects the techniques he’s being taught and the game continues to slow down for him, he’ll make more of those plays. I love the fact he’s physical in the run game. Teams have completed 60 percent of their passes thrown his way (34-for-56) with three touchdowns. For a rookie starter from Day 1, I’ll take that. I think he’ll be fine.
20man: He’s had a terrific impact. DJ Reader’s addition has allowed Alim McNeill to see more one-on-one situations and he’s taking full advantage. McNeill is currently the No. 5 graded interior lineman in the game by Pro Football Focus as his 25 hurries also rank fifth, ahead of names like Quinnen Williams and Dexter Lawrence.
It’s not just McNeill who Reader has impacted. MIKE linebacker Jack Campbell is having a breakout year because of how Reader and McNeill influence the blocking in front of him and give him opportunities to make plays.
20man: Goff is still No. 1 to me, but with the emphasis on the run game, Gibbs is right there at No. 2.
Gibbs is No. 5 in rushing yards per game (80.8) and second behind only Derrick Henry (6.09) in rushing average at 5.96 yards per carry. He’s also fifth in scrimmage yards per contest (103.2).
Maybe even more impressive is Gibbs holds the NFL record for most consecutive games with a 5.0 yard rushing average (Min. 10 Att.) at seven games, a record he set this season. The four players who had six such games are Derrick Henry, Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson and Franco Harris. Not bad company. Gibbs has been terrific this season.
20man: Good problem to have, right? Some decisions are certainly going to have to be made down the line for Holmes and his staff.
Cornerback Carlton Davis is on the final year of his contract, and he’s been such a good addition for this defense. It will be interesting to see what he commands on the open market. Aidan Hutchinson will be eligible to sign an extension after the conclusion of this year, his third year, and that’s something I’d think the Lions would want to get out of the way for one of their core players.
Linebacker Derrick Barnes and guard Kevin Zeitler are on the final year of their contracts. Joseph will be entering the final year of his rookie deal next year as a player with 14 interceptions and counting midway through his third year. He strikes me as a player the team would like to have around long-term. Some tough decisions could be coming if the salary cap doesn’t continue to raise like it has the last couple years. That’s just the nature of the salary cap and the parity the league strives for.
20man: Jacksonville may be 2-8 but six of those losses have been by just one score. They have talented players on both sides of the ball and can beat anyone, but not having quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a big loss for them.
The Lions have a more talented roster. I don’t think anyone will argue that. That said, turnovers are the great equalizer in this league. If the Lions handle their business and don’t turn the football over, they should have the edge at home.
